PSWID manager hopes to predict, fix problems before they occur

The Pine-Strawberry Water Improvement District (PSWID) manager Brad Cole submitted an annual report to the acting board that painted a picture of efficiency on March 20, but no one has seen an annual report for two years.

PSWID serves 3,200 customers out of a population of 8,000 with 17 wells — 14 in Pine and three in Strawberry.

To augment the wells, PSWID has nine water-sharing agreements with private companies and well owners.

The Arizona Department of Water Resources (ADWR) allows the owner of a private well to hook up to 14 connections and serve 24 people. If more people are served, then the well owner is subject to safety testing and reporting by the Arizona Department of Environment Quality (ADEQ).

Private water companies create water-sharing agreements with an owner of a private well and agree to take over the maintenance and safety reporting for the well. The owner of the well receives a rent payment in return.

This can get expensive.

Cole said PSWID hopes to end the well sharing agreements as soon as the district develops the Milk Ranch wells.

To keep the water flowing during the dry summer months, PSWID has 22 storage tanks with 1.3 million gallons of capacity.

The report said PSWID maintains 58.2 miles of water lines to deliver water to its customers.

During this past year, PSWID conducted a leak detection survey. In its report, PSWID aims to change from reacting to problems to anticipating problems.

“Our focus has shifted from a historically reactive mode of maintenance to a preventative and predictive mode of maintenance,” said Cole in the report. “This shift provides the added benefit of not only increased maintenance activity but most often the ability to spot problems before they occur and extends the life of the assets in the field.”